Deborah Kelly – Round-the-World Traveler

Deborah Kelly is a 50-year-old management consultant from Sevenoaks, Kent, England, who took a round-the-world trip in 2004 with her partner.

The Snapshot

• Departure: 2004
• Age at departure: 50
• Nationality: England
• Location: Sevenoaks, Kent, England
• Occupation: Management consultant
• Original budget: $44,800 (approximately $78,300 in 2026 dollars)
• Regions: North America, Oceania, Southeast Asia, Asia

The Route

London to New York, then driving to Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Niagara and Chicago before taking Route 66 to Los Angeles (with a stop in Las Vegas for a 50th birthday). Los Angeles to Auckland and a month by campervan around both islands of New Zealand; Christchurch to Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road; then Sydney and up through New South Wales and Queensland to Cairns; Cairns to Singapore, Singapore to Hanoi and a week touring Vietnam (Hue, Da Nang, Saigon); then Saigon – Bangkok – Hong Kong – London.

In Their Words

Here's what Deborah Kelly shared about their RTW journey:

Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?

We were approaching 50, both self employed and able to take time off work. I had been made redundant previously, and had sufficient funds to afford it. Also, I had cancer five years ago and I was determined not to let things pass me by. We wanted to go ‘all the way round’ and we wanted to do lots of driving (we actually drove over 13,000 miles in total). Australia and New Zealand had been on our ‘must see’ list for a while, and Route 66 sounded exciting. The other places just sort of happened, although Vietnam was a late addition and absolutely superb.

What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?

Do it soon – but enjoy the planning. Also, set up a weblog to let people know what you’re up to. Ours is at www.triquetra.co.uk/blog and we have enjoyed writing it. We have over 40 family and friends signed up to receive notification of our updates.

What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?

That it is prohibitively expensive.

Why do you like to travel?

To see new places – I like geography and buildings.

2026 Context

• Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of $44,800 would equate to approximately $78,300 in 2026 purchasing power, reflecting roughly 75% inflation over the intervening years.